Pictures of the Bucs' practice squad for the 2017 season.
LB Riley Bullough
LB Riley Bullough
LB Riley Bullough
WR Bobo Wilson
WR Bobo Wilson
WR Bobo Wilson
RB Russell Hansbrough
RB Russell Hansbrough
RB Russell Hansbrough
FB Austin Johnson
FB Austin Johnson
FB Austin Johnson
OL Mike Liedtke
OL Mike Liedtke
OL Mike Liedtke
WR Freddie Martino
WR Freddie Martino
WR Freddie Martino
S Isaiah Johnson
S Isaiah Johnson
S Isaiah Johnson Not pictured: OT Marquis Lucas
OT Justin Murray
OT Justin Murray
OT Justin Murray
DE Channing Ward
DE Channing Ward
DE Channing Ward
CB David Rivers
CB David Rivers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers only kept one undrafted rookie on the 53-man roster this year, but they several other young newcomers clearly made a strong impression.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers announced the signing of 10 players to the first iteration of their 2017 practice squad. All 10 were players who Tampa Bay waived on Saturday during the league-wide roster cut-down to 53, including three that the team signed as rookie free agents right after the NFL draft this past spring.
Those three undrafted rookies – linebacker Riley Bullough, cornerback Jonathan Moxey and wide receiver Bobo Wilson – join several other players who were on the Bucs' practice squad last year, too. In addition, the Buccaneers will carry an 11th player, linebacker Eric Nzeocha, on that squad all year as an international exception. Below are the players who will begin the season on Tampa Bay's practice squad:
- DE Sterling Bailey
- LB Riley Bullough
- RB Russell Hansbrough
- FB Austin Johnson
- S Isaiah Johnson
- G Michael Liedtke
- T Marquis Lucas
- WR Freddie Martino
- CB Jonathan Moxey
- WR Bobo Wilson
The Buccaneers believe they had better roster depth in this year's training camp than they've enjoyed in recent years, so it's unsurprising that the practice squad is made up of players who were likely on the bubble until Saturday's cuts. For instance, Bernard Reedy won the Bucs' fifth receiver spot with a strong preseason performance catching passes and returning kicks, but Martino and Wilson also had impressive moments.
Photos of the Buccaneers' complete roster.
2 K Nick Folk
3 QB Jameis Winston
9 P Bryan Anger
10 WR Adam Humphries
11 WR DeSean Jackson
12 WR Chris Godwin
13 WR Mike Evans
14 QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
18 WR Bernard Reedy
21 S Justin Evans
22 RB Doug Martin
23 S Chris Conte
24 CB Brent Grimes
25 RB Peyton Barber
26 CB Josh Robinson
28 CB Vernon Hargreaves
29 DB Ryan Smith
32 RB Jacquizz Rodgers
34 RB Charles Sims
35 CB Javien Elliott
36 CB Robert McClain
37 S Keith Tandy
43 S T.J. Ward
51 LB Kendell Beckwith
52 LB Cameron Lynch
53 LB Adarius Glanton
54 LB Lavonte David
56 DE Jacquies Smith
57 DE Noah Spence
58 LB Kwon Alexander
59 LB Devante Bond
61 OT Justin Murray
62 C Evan Smith
64 OT Kevin Pamphile
65 LS Garrison Sanborn
66 OT Leonard Wester
68 C Joe Hawley
69 OT Demar Dotson
73 G J.R. Sweezy
74 G Ali Marpet
76 OT Donovan Smith
77 OL Caleb Benenoch
80 TE O.J. Howard
82 TE Antony Auclair
84 TE Cameron Brate
88 TE Luke Stocker
90 DE Chris Baker
91 DE Robert Ayers
92 DE William Gholston
93 DT Gerald McCoy
95 DE Ryan Russell
96 DE Sealver Siliga
98 DT Clinton McDonald
DE Will Clarke
Likewise, Bullough was an early star of this year's Hard Knocks series, with Head Coach Dirk Koetter shown lauding the rookie for his communication skills on the field. Koetter also had strong words of praise during the preseason for Liedtke, who first joined the Buccaneers' practice squad last November.
Austin Johnson, who can fill a role in the Bucs' offense similar to that of Alan Cross, is the most experienced of the 10 players on the practice squad, having played 17 games for New Orleans in 2014-15 and one for Tampa Bay late last year. Martino has appeared in 14 NFL regular-season games, 13 of them for the Bucs last year, as he contributed eight catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. Hansbrough got into two contests last year as a rookie for the Buccaneers.
